


Peace of Mind

by starryeyedboxes



Series: The Sweetness Never Lasts [1]
Category: Septiplier - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2015-10-14
Packaged: 2018-04-26 07:20:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4995367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryeyedboxes/pseuds/starryeyedboxes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For some reason, Mark and Jack always end up tangled in each other's lives. Whether they ask for it or not, it always happens. But how long can this keep going on before one of them can't take it anymore?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Peace of Mind

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of three different Fall Out Boy songs. :) I can't say which ones just yet though, because then it'll spoil the plot for you.

The rain outside was relentless. However, for some odd reason, Mark felt like it was immensely welcoming. The drops falling on his apartment window was somewhat comforting. It helped drown the silence, pushing it down. It was nice considering Mark’s mind was the furthest thing from quiet.

He rolled over in bed and came face to face with a large mass of brown hair adorning the pillow next to him. With softened eyes, he looked at Danny, his sleeping body underneath the white comforter. Mark watched the slow rise and fall of his chest, his gaze fixated for a moment.

Breaking his gaze immediately, an odd sense of guilt washing over him. It wasn’t like him to feel this way – not in what seemed like a while anyway.

He silently rolled out of bed and crept around the small studio apartment. It wasn’t much in terms of sentiment. His current place was fairly small considering he had only moved to New York a few years ago, but that wasn’t why it felt foreign underneath his fingertips. When Mark ran his hand over the decorative brick walls, he felt a surge in his chest every time, his bottom lip tucked in between his teeth.

This was not the studio apartment he first rented when he moved out to the big city, and it definitely was not his favorite. He missed his old place, and boy, did he miss it greatly. This studio was beautiful – mahogany floors, beautiful bricked walls, enormous windows. But no matter how grand everything was, or how much money he spent on filling in the studio’s space, it didn’t fix his resentment for the thing entirely.

If he were to be honest, he hated the entire damned place.

Danny didn’t stir once, and Mark realized he was grateful. He wanted to be alone, but that was quite hard to do considering he was living with his significant other. Letting out a quiet sigh, Mark walked over to the large window and pulled back the curtains. The midnight sky looked back at him, and he pressed his forehead against the cold glass. He would have opened the window if it weren’t raining outside, so this would have to do for now. It would likely be the closest thing to refreshment he could get all things considering.

After a few moments passed, he opened his tired eyes. He was fairly sure there would be bags underneath, but no matter how hard he tried to sleep well each night, it was not an easy feat to accomplish. However, it didn’t take long before something caught his eye on the sidewalk below. Underneath a streetlight, there stood a young man frantically waving his arms around at Mark’s window. He hurried to the desk and returned with his glasses, placing them on his nose to see what was outside better.

Jack. It was Jack. Jack in all his shining glory.

Mark’s chest burned at the sight. It had been months since he had last seen the audio engineer but knowing he was outside, especially under these circumstances, was not something he had once expected.

But, without further thought, Mark quickly but silently changed in the cover of the dark studio, throwing on a black hoodie and grabbing an umbrella to help deal with the rain. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, or even why, but the draw to his old flame was far too strong. He didn’t even wonder what Danny would think when he would likely wake up alone. In this moment, Mark didn’t care. He shut his door behind him and fled to the elevator and out the front door of the complex. When he trotted to where he had looked out his window, he saw Jack, his lopsided smile as charming as he remembered.

“Mark,” Jack noted, nodding underneath his own umbrella. “I’m glad to see you’re doing well. I’m assuming, anyway.”

Mark tilted his head slightly, his breath forming a slight cloud as he took heavier breaths from rushing outside. His eyes searched Jack’s, desperately trying to find some reason why he had returned or at least why in the middle of the night during a rainstorm.

“You look good,” Mark commented, his eyes scanning Jack quickly. He made sure not to linger his gaze for too long. “I like the coat.”

The young man looked down with brightened blue eyes and looked at his attire briefly. A black pea coat adorned his frame as he also sported black jeans and some boots to likely keep out the rain. He was as beautiful as Mark remembered. He had to fight every urge to reach out and run a thumb across the skin he still sometimes dreamt about at night, even with Danny’s arms around him.

“Thanks,” the Irishman laughed. “I – Felix told me where you lived. I know me showing up was incredibly random.”

“A bit.”

Jack took a step back, a slight splash of water soaking the top of his jeans because of it. “I just – I really wanted to check up on you. I didn’t think you’d be awake. I honestly planned on walking here then going back to our – my apartment. I was surprised to see you at the window. I was even more surprised you actually came down.”

Mark threw the words around for a small bit, the silence between them still incredibly thick. His head was swirling and his chest was aching, yet he still couldn’t find himself to pull away and return to the safe confides that was his new apartment, and his new boyfriend.

“Jack?”

“Yeah?”

“Why are you really here?”

Immediately, Jack’s gaze shifted and his demeanor faltered. He let out a shaky breath, and it was clear that he hadn’t expected to be caught off guard like that.

But there was something – something that kept Mark grounded here with him. Even as the rain poured around them, their shoes absolutely drenched, he realized that he definitely did not want to go back inside. Through the cold, absolute downpour, and pain in his heart, he stayed. Mark knew he shouldn’t, but he’d be damned if he left Jack out here. Even if Jack very much deserved it.

“I’m serious. I really wanted to check up on you –”

“We dated for four years. You don’t think I’d know you by now?” He didn’t mean for his words to be harsh, but when Jack slightly flinched, he calmed his tone guiltily. “I’m not dumb, Sean. I want to know why you’re coming here out of the blue.”

“Mark,” Jack breathed. Instantly, he saw tears running down his cheeks, a deep red flushing over the normally pale skin. Cars were driving by and there were maybe one or two stragglers out and about, but the young man with grey hair ignored all of it. “I just – Please come home.”

And with that, Mark’s heart felt like it had stopped entirely. His breath caught in his lungs while all he could do was just stare with widened eyes.

“Come home?”

“Home,” Jack repeated after clearing his throat. He slightly shivered from the cold, but his stance seemed firm. “Our home.”

 

Mark wasn’t sure what he was doing, but as he stepped foot inside his old studio apartment, a part of his chest felt lighter. A slight smile appeared as he spun his body around slowly, his eyes darting across every detail. There was the small chip in the ceiling from when he threw his controller out of anger when Jack beat him at Mortal Kombat, and there was even the small stain on the carpet from when Mark jumped out from behind the couch and scared Jack so badly that his coffee had gone flying.

He sighed, taking in the scent. It was different – it was purely Jack now. A hint of cinnamon.

When Mark approached the kitchen counter he smiled, looking at the large scrape running along the granite. As he ran a finger over the scarred material, he remembered when it happened. It was his first at-home date with Jack and he had sworn up and down to himself that there would be a hot meal waiting for them. He refused take out because he felt like his new boyfriend deserved better than the food from the local Chinese restaurant. Somewhere along the midst of torn cookbook pages, various Google and Pinterest searches, as well as intense scrambling to find the cooking channel, Mark had managed to burn the entire meal and forget some dessert.

Frustrated beyond belief, he was too occupied to realize he had forgotten to use the cutting board and upon utter horror, soon figured out he had cut the chicken directly on the counter. Not only was the food burned, but it was likely dirty as well. The large knife mark was what was left, and he could still recall Jack’s melodic laughter ringing through the room as he dialed the number for pizza.

It almost seemed like an entirely different life. It practically was.

“Jack,” Mark chimed. “You haven’t really done much with the place.”

“‘Spose not,” he returned as he hung his black coat over the rack behind the front door. His smile was wide when he met Mark’s gaze. “I didn’t really have the need to, I guess.”

“It’s… like I never left.”

Jack fell back on the bed, his chest rising with a large breath. Mark wanted something to drink and headed towards the sink, letting the faucet fill his cup with tap water. He slowly watched it bubble and let the tense atmosphere sink in. It was incredibly strange being back in a place that he actually had a strong connection to. Mark was fairly sure that he was stalling as he took small sips from his cup.

But, the silence had to be broken eventually. It was Jack who took that role.

“It’s weird havin’ you back in here,” he laughed. It sounded strained and controlled, but Mark took it upon himself to chuckle back politely. The thick air between them hadn’t disappeared, but in some odd sense, he was relieved for the comment regardless. “It almost feels like normal.”

“Almost,” Mark echoed.

“Hey, I know! Ready for this, Fischbach?”

Immediately, Jack pulled himself off of the bed and walked towards the black stereo Mark had bought him for Christmas one year. Mark’s lips curled into a smile when he recognized it. He wasn’t sure why he was surprised it was still against the wall when everything else had been the exact same, but it still warmed his heart slightly at the thought. He definitely remembered how eager the audio engineer was to test it out when he opened the large box.

It had definitely made Christmas much better that year. Jack’s smile was much brighter than the lights decorating the small studio apartment.

“Let’s see if you still remember this bad boy.”

Soon enough, the soft melody began flowing through the room. Daniela’s voice began echoing off the walls, and Mark smiled again, relishing in the soft cover. Her voice was just as beautiful as he remembered. It had been a while since he had heard this particular cover, and it made him chuckle slightly at the thought that Jack remembered this song from so long ago.

“How could I forget it? It’s my favorite cover of La Vie En Rose.”

Jack stepped in front of Mark and held out a hand. He blinked hard behind his glasses for a moment, wondering what was happening. But, almost on instinct, he took the warm hand and allowed himself to be pulled up. Remembering how often they used to do this, Mark placed his hands on Jack’s hips while the Irishman’s arms wrapped around his neck. Soon enough, the two began to sway to the music.

The moment was so gentle. Mark was reeling at the moment, but he couldn’t help but pull Jack in close, resting his chin on top of the other’s head. It was all too familiar. He felt himself sigh, but when the audio engineer didn’t pull away and even nuzzled himself into the crook of his neck, Mark simply relished in the feeling. It was far too comfortable for him to use logical thinking.

They moved to the music slowly, and he let the calm lyrics float through the air. He never had moments like this with Danny, and if he were to be honest, he didn’t particularly want these instances with him. A part of him loved the thought that he was only able to ever have such tender moments with Jack. When he remembered it was this way, even months later, he wanted to slap himself.

But before he could protest, the man in his arms pulled back and instinctively, Mark spun him in a small circle before pulling Jack back in. The two laughed for a moment.

“Well, you’re not rusty like I thought you would be,” the younger man commented, his lopsided smile as charming as ever. “I thought I’d be the one who would end up leading.”

“Right,” Mark scoffed as the song looped yet again. “Like you’d be the one leading.”

“Can I ask you a question?” Jack finally asked after he pulled away and found himself in front of the stereo.

The biomedical engineer noticed the music switching, the chopped songs going through a playlist. Mark took a moment to stare at his old flame, guiltily admiring the shape he used to curl up into underneath the darkness every night. He quickly turned away when Jack finally cast a look over his shoulder when the song started.

Mark let out another hearty laugh when Elvis’s voice came flooding in.

“This song? Really? Can’t Help Falling in Love?”

“Shut up. You know I love it.”

Jack returned to his usual position with Mark and they begun to slowly spin the music yet again. The slow beat flowed and after a few loops of the song, Jack pulled away with a loud sigh.

“You know, as happy as I am that you’re back, even if it’s only for a bit… I– You know, won’t Danny be upset? This isn’t exactly something he’d be happy to hear about.”

Mark hesitated, but he pulled his gaze towards the floor, his eyes fixated on the carpet below. “I mean, I guess Danny doesn’t have to know. He’s still asleep, so he doesn’t really know I’m gone or anything–”

“Wait.”

Mark’s mouth immediately clamped shut when Jack’s eyes narrowed at him. Being underneath such an intense glare made him squirm, and he noticed that his throat even felt dry due to the pressure.

“You mean you don’t even plan on telling him?”

“Well, am I supposed to?”

“Considering you left me because of my own infidelity, I would expect you to be honest about shit like this.”

Still avoiding all eye contact, he sighed. “Well, I guess I should.”

“You guess?” Jack shifted hips momentarily before crossing his arms over his chest. “You mean to tell me that while you left me for my mistake, you’re doing the same shit I did, but instead of being honest like I was, you’re going to hide it?”

This was the conversation Mark had been trying to avoid the moment things got heated. He hadn’t expected it to come back up considering most of the night had been either thoroughly awkward or particularly reminiscent. But if he were to be logical about the situation, he knew it would have had to come up eventually.

It was such a monstrosity of a topic, and it constantly weighed on his mind. Even after so long, he could still feel the burden of it, and he narrowed his vision in return.

“You mean to say that you’re getting mad at me even though you were the one who cheated on me?”

“At least I had the balls to tell you,” he spat in response before walking over to the stereo to switch it off. Elvis’s voice was immediately silenced and the studio fell back into utter quiet. “You, on the other hand, clearly don’t.”

“You don’t get to criticize me for this.” Mark’s voice was quickly growing louder with each word. His tone waivered, but he didn’t back down when Jack took a strong step forward. “You’re the one who kissed someone else. Not me. I didn’t kiss you. We may have had a moment, a moment that shouldn’t have happened, but–”

The expression that ran over Jack’s face immediately halted his angry words. A part of Mark’s heart clenched when he saw those lovely blue eyes gloss over quickly, his lips pursing. The two stood in the middle of the studio, Jack’s stance straight despite the tears that began falling, Mark’s own body rigid as he realized what he had said out loud.

“Wait, Jack–”

But he simply held up a hand, his gaze never breaking from Mark. He took a few deep breaths, opened his mouth to speak a few times, but it took a while for him to mutter what he finally wanted to say.

“If you want to be like that, then leave, Mark. If you don’t want to fuckin’ be here, then you know how to get home.”

The biomedical engineer felt his lungs inhale large breaths, his throat burning at the threat of his own tears. He couldn’t remember the last time he had wanted to cry this badly, but the feeling wasn’t entirely foreign. In fact, it reminded him a lot of the early days at his new apartment, long before Danny entered the picture.

He knew he should leave. He absolutely knew that there was no reason for him to be here and that he most definitely should be trekking it through the rain back to the safety of his own place, but his feet were undoubtedly glued to where he stood. As much as Mark knew it wasn’t right being here, and that his cheating ex-boyfriend of four years definitely had a point, he still couldn’t find it in himself to leave.

Instead, he slowly stretched out his arms, his head tilting slightly. Jack has a look of doubt, but hesitantly walked forward anyway. He stepped back into Mark’s embrace and let himself be held as his body slightly shook.

“I don’t want to argue with you,” Mark whispered into the grey hair he was still somehow very familiar with. “I’m so tired of it. We already did so much of that already.”

Jack merely hummed in response, his breaths still terribly shaken. “I guess.”

The two stood still in the middle of the floor, still locked in each other’s hold. The only audible sound was from the rainfall outside and the heartbeat Jack was able to hear as his head was pressed against Mark’s chest. They didn’t say much at first, but as a few minutes passed, it was time for the moment to break.

Jack was the one to step out again, Mark’s arms falling to his side. It was odd not feeling the Irishman against his body. Even though he hadn’t seen him in months, it felt odd not having him in an embrace again. It would definitely be hard to adjust when he returned to Danny.

“Here, how about we do something else,” Jack chimed before harshly wiping at his eyes. His smaller frame quickly darted to the closet and he entered it with a reluctant smile.

Mark could hear some rummaging, but soon enough, the audio engineer reappeared with a box in his hands. With a curious gaze, Mark followed Jack towards the bed where the both of them sat down.

“What’s that?”

Jack pulled out what was inside the box. A photo album rested in his lap, and Mark took in a sharp breath. He instantly recognized the black cover and his heart sunk. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to look through the pictures that resided inside, but he didn’t get the opportunity to object before Jack flipped it open.

A wave of nostalgia hit, and hit hard. Pictures from Christmas time, vacations, family dinners, innocent dates, random memories. It was a wild thought that there was a point in time where these moments truly existed. There was actually a time where Jack and Mark were happy together. That was a concept that was outrageously strange now. It was almost incomprehensible.

“Hey, remember this?”

Jack pulled out a picture from the plastic sleeve and held it up. Mark leaned in closer to get a better view and he instantly recognized it as their second anniversary picture. Jack’s shirt was covered in frosting and large chunks of cake and Mark was standing beside him doubled in laughter. It was incredibly innocent and mild, but it made Mark smile regardless. It was the most sincere smile he had all night.

“I remember. You turned the corner at the same time I was walking towards the living room with the cake. Your mom was so angry about the cake on her floor.”

“It was your first time in Ireland, and I remember being so angry that my mom flipped. It was just some cake and it came out of the carpet.”

“Well, it definitely was a unique experience. I felt bad about pissing off your mom.”

“It was an accident at least,” Jack laughed, the corners of his eyes wrinkling. Mark’s heart leapt and he turned away momentarily. “I really didn’t want that to be your first memory of Ireland.”

“We had a lot of fun after that,” he reminded, his shoulder nudging Jack’s. Both let out a soft chuckle. “It was one of our best vacations in my opinion.”

“I agree,” he sighed, his eyes still locked onto the photograph. “I remember that was when my family first knew about you.”

“Yeah, they had no idea I existed until you brought me home and you said ‘surprise! This is Mark, my boyfriend. Oh, and I’m bisexual.’”

“Good times, good times.”

The two laughed and soon enough, the room fell in silence yet again. Jack flipped through some more pages as they went through each picture. Laughter and jokes were thrown between them as each one brought up a humorous story.

However, the mood instantly dropped when the last picture was finally brought out of the sleeve. It showed Mark and Jack sitting on a bench in the park, but what struck an honest chord within was the look they were both sporting. If Mark remembered correctly, it had been Felix who had taken the candid shot. The three of them had met in college.

Felix had of course moved away with his girlfriend Marzia, but he was mostly responsible for a lot of the pictures in the album.

“Well,” Jack awkwardly began, his left hand rubbing at the back of his neck. “That was definitely interesting. I didn’t expect that one to be in there.”

Mark’s heart felt awfully heavy. He thought that these memories would bring him some sort of happiness, but in the end, all he was left with was a daunting feeling. Something was gnawing at him, and it made his head spin. Mark quickly stood up, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

“Where are you going, Mark?”

“I need to go home,” he muttered before rushing towards the door. It felt like the ground was going to cave underneath him.

Mark pulled the door open and fled while Jack chased after him helplessly. He couldn’t make out much, but soon enough, the rain was hitting his face. The cold water was shocking but he pushed through regardless, absolutely determined to get out of that studio apartment.

“Mark! Wait up! Where are you going?”

The voice calling from behind him seemed frantic, but Mark couldn’t do anything else but force himself forward. His head swirled and he hit the ground hard, water splashing around him as he collided with the cement. Loud footsteps followed and just as expected, Jack’s face came into Mark’s vision.

A worried expression was evident, but Mark simply covered his eyes with his arms. He was surprised to hear himself release a sob, the sudden noise loud in the air. Warm tears streaked down his cheeks, but when Jack placed a gentle hand on his arm, he jerked it away.

“No.”

“What’s your deal, Mark? What are you doing?” There was something incredibly off to his tone. It wasn’t malicious, but he didn’t seem calm about the situation either. If anything, he sounded agitated.

“Go home, Jack.”

“What?”

“I said 'go home’ of course.”

“And why?”

Mark immediately jerked upwards, his forehead almost colliding with Jack’s. The younger man, however, luckily dodged in time as he fell backwards from his squat, his palms scraping against the sidewalk. Mark’s chest was rising and falling rapidly, and his glasses had gotten lost in the mix, but all he could focus on was Jack’s heavy gaze.

“We’re over! You cheated on me, for Christ’s sake. Are you really asking me why I’m leaving?”

Wiping the wet hair away from his face, Jack frowned. “Yeah, because I don’t know if you noticed, tonight wasn’t exactly the most platonic experience.”

Quickly shuffling to his feet, Mark began to tread further in to the downpour. His shoulders were slumped, but his gait was incredibly determined. He needed out, and he needed out now. Although, he wasn’t surprised when footsteps followed him yet again.

“You’re just going to ignore everything?” Even though it was a straightforward question, Jack’s tone was incredibly flat. It was more of a comment than anything. “I mean, was I reading everything wrong here–”

Mark spun on his heel, Jack almost colliding right into him. He was practically speaking through gritted teeth. “You read it all wrong.” The lie came out smoothly. At this point, all Mark wanted to do was go home and curl up underneath his covers. He was shivering from standing out in the pouring rain, his body was hurting from the fall, and his eyes were stinging from the threat of more tears. He was an absolute wreck.

And all he could do was just stand and stare Jack right in the eye with a clenched jaw. He wanted to go home. To go home to Danny. To safety and comfort.

Jack’s expression said it all. He looked confused, angry, sad, but more importantly, utterly betrayed. His hands were clenched by his sides and his eyebrows were furrowed. Mark couldn’t tell if the audio engineer was crying or not due to the heavy rain, but he would easily bet that he was.

“It was all wrong. Everything, Jack. Everything.” Once he started, there was nothing he could do but spew out jumbled sentences that were not entirely thought through. “Coming back with you was a mistake – and God, really? Dancing?”

Jack took a step backwards.

“I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking. Tonight shouldn’t have happened, you know. I should’ve fucking stayed inside with Danny, because–”

“Stop.” Jack’s tone was stoic. It surprised Mark entirely. “I’ve heard enough. I get it.”

It was almost eerie the way Jack didn’t express anything that he was feeling. His face was completely void of any expression and his posture was straight and firm. He didn’t say anything else.

Mark’s rage immediately quelled itself as Jack stepped to the side and continued down the sidewalk as if Mark wasn’t even there to begin with. When he disappeared out of sight, Mark felt his knees buckle, and before he knew it, he collapsed back onto the sidewalk, his nails digging into his palms as he tried to calm back down.

This entire night had been one large, hectic ride. Just like when Jack had first emerged, he departed underneath the cover of the rain. Mark had a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he pushed it down as he pulled himself back up to his feet and began the journey back to his apartment.

He just hoped Danny was still asleep.

 

Mark finally made it back home. He silently turned the key and slowly crept back inside. When he heard the faint snoring he was used to every night, he let out a sigh of relief. Glancing at their clock on the nightstand, he saw it was only a quarter after five in the morning. He had been gone the entire night, but not once had Danny stirred.

He hid away in the bathroom, being extra careful to hide his drenched clothes at the bottom of the hamper to secretly throw in the dryer later. He couldn’t have his boyfriend know where he had gone all night.

Slipping into the shower, he let the steam fill his senses. It was an incredibly comfortable feeling being underneath the steaming water when he had just trekked home in the frigid rain. He wasn’t even sure how long he had been walking, but it was definitely a long trip – or at least, it felt like it.

A few minutes in, he heard the bathroom door creak open. Mark peeked his head out from behind the curtain and saw an incredibly sleepy Danny standing in the doorframe.

“Hey, babe, what are you doing?”

“I needed a shower,” he returned, pulling back and standing underneath the shower. “I couldn’t sleep, so I thought it would help.”

“Jack called,” Danny noted, holding out the house phone in Mark’s general direction, one hand still rubbing a tired eye. Mark’s head immediately poked back out. “I answered because I didn’t recognize the number. He said something about checking your mailbox tomorrow because some of your mail was sent there. I’m not sure why he wanted to tell you that so early in the morning, though….”

Mark’s gaze shifted and he pulled the curtain back to hide himself. “It’s fine. You can just put the phone back. I don’t need to call him back or anything.”

“You sure? He sounded a little… off…”

He hesitated. “I’m sure.”

“Well, in that case, would you like me to join you?”

Mark laughed, albeit rather stiffly. But when the curtain was pulled back and Danny stepped in, Mark sighed. Whether it was out of contentment or annoyance, he wasn’t sure, but he couldn’t help but scold himself when he realized he was secretly wishing it was Jack instead. Like it used to be.

 

When Mark finally caught up on his sleep, he checked the mailbox while Danny was on his way home from work. He would be home any moment, so Mark didn’t have a lot of time to check their box safely. He was undoubtedly nervous about what could have possibly been placed in it, but when he unlocked the metal door to their box, he saw a lone envelope resting inside. Pulling it out, he quickly unfolded it.

He wasn’t sure when Jack had stuffed it inside, but he didn’t have time to really question it as he looked at the contents. The photograph from their trip to Ireland was in his hands. However, to his surprise, the photo had a few bumps pressed into it. When he flipped it over, he saw Jack’s writing scrawled over the white back.

_“Clearly asking you to come home last night was a mistake. I’ll be leaving to my real home in the morning. My flight leaves in the afternoon if I can get one on time. Thought I’d give you this since you’re no longer my home and I need to go back to a clean slate. I ask that you burn this._

_Goodbye, Mark._

_Jack”_

Mark took a moment to stare at the photo again, looking at the smiles each of them wore. Jack covered in cake, Mark’s smile absolutely genuine and sincere. He couldn’t remember the last time he looked that happy.

“Hey, babe,” a voice greeted. When he looked up, he saw that familiar head of brown hair walking towards him through the front lobby. Panicked, Mark crumpled the photo in his hand and shoved his fist in his pocket. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, I was just checking the mailbox like Jack wanted.” At least that wasn’t a lie. “It was just some junk mail. Nothing big.”

“Sure thing!” Danny gave an endearing smile and held out his hand for Mark. “Wanna go back upstairs?”

As Mark stared at the outstretched hand, he couldn’t help but think of last night when Jack had done the exact same thing. He had pulled him up off of the bed and they danced for a long while. The scenarios were almost parallel.

Mark knew he had enough time to call Jack. All he had to do was press a few buttons and stop Jack from leaving back to Ireland. There was enough time to do so. It would be very hard to get a flight right now because of the weather regardless. But the more he looked at Danny, the more he saw familiarity and safety.

He wouldn’t have to return to the wild-eyed Jack who had a unique sense of humor, a laugh that put everyone else’s to shame, and an incredibly humbled heart. He would be able to stay with Danny who was outrageously kind and soft, outright sincere, and awfully lovely. Being with a gentle soul like Danny was a huge leap from the stormy and untamed Jack, and while he wasn’t particularly fond of the change, it would have to do.

Staying with someone he knew wouldn’t take his breath away was something he would have to get used to, because if he were to be honest with himself, he was too scared to have it any other way. He may not love his current boyfriend the way that he deserved, but it was much better than being alone. Mark knew that safety equalled Danny, and right now, that’s exactly what he needed.

No matter how much he loved Jack.

“You bet,” Mark responded, his smile small and mind relieved. “Can’t wait to kick your ass during some video game sessions.”

“Whatever you say, Fischbach,” Danny laughed. Mark immediately thought of Jack who had a habit of calling him by his last name whenever he was in an emotional state. Mark pushed the thought of his head and nodded. “You’re on.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”


End file.
